1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication, and, more particularly, a technique which allows providers providing a wireless LAN connection service to share wireless LAN equipments like a base station used for the service in a facility, such as a station, shops or a shopping center.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently have been developed wireless LAN systems which perform wireless LAN communication to the Internet in a public facility, such as a station, or a facility, such as shops or a shopping center. In a shopping center, such as a mall, for example, equipments like wireless LAN base stations are sited in individual shops to effect wireless LAN communication.
Some of conventional wireless LAN systems are, for example, a system as disclosed in JP-A-H10-178429, which can select a base station to which a wireless LAN terminal is connected, or a system as disclosed in JP-A-2002-125069, which performs authentication based on a user ID and password when a wireless IP telephone moves over different subnets and permits roaming when roaming in the subnets has been permitted in advance.
In case that wireless LAN communication is performed in, for example, a shopping center like a mall as mentioned above, a plurality of different wireless LAN hot service providers get in the shopping center. In such a case, as different service providers for different shops provide equipments such as wireless LAN base stations, a wireless LAN communication service.
In case that a plurality of service providers site equipments such as wireless LAN base stations in the shops which have contracted with the respective service providers, however, it is necessary to provide equipment such as a wireless LAN base station for each service provider, resulting in a huge investment in equipment of each service provider. While service providers for adjoining shops, for example, may share equipment such as a wireless LAN base station, the conventional systems have no technique of allowing different service providers to share equipment.
For example, the wireless LAN system disclosed in JP-A-H10-178429 can ensure efficient use of the system by connecting wireless LAN terminals to a base station to be connected in accordance with the priority order, but does not share equipment among different service providers.
The wireless LAN system disclosed in JP-A-2002-125069 permits talking via a wireless IP telephone in case where roaming in subnets is permitted in beforehand. Likewise, this system does not share equipment among different service providers.